A casino is a place where people bet on games of chance like blackjack, roulette and slot machines. These games are the heart of a casino, generating billions in profits each year for casinos around the world. A casino is more than just a gambling establishment, though. It is also a place for people to socialize, eat and drink, and watch shows.
Although a casino’s amenities help lure visitors, it would be nothing without its gamblers. Every game in a casino has a built-in advantage that ensures the house will win, even if all patrons bet everything they have. This edge may be less than two percent, but it adds up over the millions of bets placed by casino patrons each year. This “house edge” is what keeps casinos afloat, allowing them to build elaborate hotels, fountains and replicas of ancient pyramids and towers.
Modern casinos use technology to monitor their patrons. In “chip tracking,” for example, betting chips with microcircuitry allow casinos to monitor the exact amounts wagered minute by minute and warn them quickly if there is a statistical deviation from expected results. Roulette wheels are regularly electronically monitored to discover any anomalies. Casinos also use cameras to keep an eye on their casino floor, and each table and window can be adjusted individually by security workers in a room filled with banks of security monitors.
In addition to surveillance, casinos use other methods to encourage big bettors and punish small ones. For instance, many offer comps to good gamblers, which can include free hotel rooms, dinners, tickets to shows and other luxurious inducements.